Bakersfield Vice Mayor Gonzales says protester’s arrest is ‘noise’ to conducting city business

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A story involving the Bakersfield City Council has gone viral on national and even international platforms.

28-year-old pro-Palestinian protester Riddhi Patel was arrested last week for threatening to murder city council members.

Now, Patel isn’t just the talk of the town — she’s making headlines nationally and internationally and all over social media.

And to discuss Patel’s death threats, Bakersfield Vice Mayor Andrae Gonzales made an appearance on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Tuesday.

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“It was important for the city of Bakersfield to be represented well,” Vice Mayor Gonzales said of his national television appearance. “This isn’t a positive news story for our community, frankly.”

He described the current national and international attention on Bakersfield as “not a good situation we’re in right now.”

Gonzales spoke with 17 News Tuesday afternoon.

“She has been one to make outlandish remarks, to be very aggressive, to use expletives at city council for sure,” Gonzales said of Patel. “So, those types of activities, we’re used to, we’ve seen in the past. But never have we seen or heard from her a threat to murder us, and that crosses a line.”

Gonzales also said he has had at least two instances in which Patel approached him outside of his capacity as a city councilman and accosted him.

“Also in private settings, when I’m out at dinner, for example, she’s come up to my table and cussed me out in front of the entire restaurant,” Gonzales recalled.

He said he’s heard anecdotally from other members of city council they’ve had similar experiences with the other pro-Palestinian protesters.

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“There was a real sense of fear and intimidation,” Gonzales said. “To be threatened like that, to be murdered, just crosses a line.”

Patel was arrested during the April 10 City Council meeting after telling city council members, “You guys want to criminalize us with metal detectors? We’ll see you at your house. We’ll murder you.”

Prior to that comment, which led to her being escorted out of the chambers and taken into BPD custody, Patel said: “You guys are all horrible human beings, and Jesus probably would’ve killed you himself … And I hope one day somebody brings the guillotine and kills all of you m—– f——.”

Patel is among a group of pro-Palestinian protesters that have been going to city council meetings, demanding the city of Bakersfield pass a Gaza ceasefire resolution.

Patel now faces 18 felony charges and has pleaded not guilty.

Her bail was reduced by half to $500,000 on Tuesday, and she has been ordered to turn in her passport, not leave the state and will be placed on GPS monitoring after her release late Tuesday afternoon.

After threats from protester, Gonzales says the council will not ‘be intimidated to action’

Patel was also fired from her job with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.

“It’s clear the city council wants to remain committed to city business,” Vice Mayor Gonzales said, pointing to the recurring question of what power Bakersfield has in halting the Israel-Hamas War.

Gonzales said in their attempts to improve the city, there has been a lot of “noise, chatter, side shows,” such as the continued protests and Patel’s arrest.

And on the topic of recent increased security measures at city buildings — which has also been the subject of scorn from protesters — Gonzales said, “I think any reasonable person would heighten their own security,” and that he’s been encouraged to have private security throughout the day, outside of City Hall.

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